https://www.scmp.com/rss/324354/feed The initiative spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013 aims to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, and Africa. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Chinese railway giants look set to scout Eurasia in the years ahead to build high-speed train lines as the domestic market matures and some countries are more prepared than others for capital-intensive yet transformative ventures, analysts said. Inspired by China-invested projects such as the 142km (88-mile) Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line in Indonesia and the partly finished 350km (217-mile) Budapest-Belgrade railway, Chinese construction and engineering firms are expected to expand their... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3344149/rail-ahead-high-speed-lines-saturate-china-how-far-can-their-global-reach-extend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3344149/rail-ahead-high-speed-lines-saturate-china-how-far-can-their-global-reach-extend?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 08:00:12 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen The recent court ruling giving the United States a win in a tussle for control of the Panama Canal is expected to prove an important “test case” for how China responds to the challenge to its interests and influence across Latin America. Analysts said there were a range of tools it could use, including diplomatic pressure on Panama, using its economic might to seek support from friendly countries and backing a legal challenge to the ruling. Last week, Panama’s Supreme Court voided a 25-year... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342545/how-can-china-react-panama-canal-ruling-boosts-us-push-counter-its-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342545/how-can-china-react-panama-canal-ruling-boosts-us-push-counter-its-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 04:00:22 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage In the heart of Algeria’s Sahara Desert, Chinese state-owned giant China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has completed laying track on the PK330 Bridge, a final and critical link in a new railway designed to unlock the nation’s mineral wealth. The 6km (3.7-mile) bridge is part of the 950km railway linking the Gara Djebilet iron ore deposit in southwestern Tindouf province to the industrial hub of Bechar in the northeast. It was the “most technically demanding railway engineering feat... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337896/how-algeria-could-help-china-plug-iron-ore-gaps-and-gain-pricing-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337896/how-algeria-could-help-china-plug-iron-ore-gaps-and-gain-pricing-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Hong Kong-based charity GX Foundation is broadening its public health initiatives in belt and road countries, as Chinese enterprises are increasingly expected to consider the “social dimension” of their operations beyond foreign investment pursuits, its chairman, former city leader Leung Chun-ying, has said. The foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with its business partners to launch a project on health risk prevention against dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330246/hong-kong-charity-expands-public-health-efforts-across-belt-and-road-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330246/hong-kong-charity-expands-public-health-efforts-across-belt-and-road-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 23:00:11 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Observers are optimistic that China and Peru will be able to avoid a “Panama moment” over the joint Chancay Port project, despite further political turmoil in the Latin American country. Dina Boluarte’s presidency came to an end after less than three years last week with a landslide 122-0 impeachment vote in the legislature, following public discontent over her handling of security and corruption scandals. Jose Jeri, former president of the Congress, will take over as interim president until a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328845/will-perus-chancay-port-be-next-panama-moment-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328845/will-perus-chancay-port-be-next-panama-moment-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000 Ashfaq Zaman Ashfaq Zaman The Rohingya people have endured one of the world’s most protracted, yet least visible, humanitarian crises. Nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in what were supposed to be temporary camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. They still have little prospect of returning to Myanmar’s Rakhine state. But at a recent conference in Dhaka, the Rohingya people were, for the first time, given a voice. Their message was clear: they do not want more aid. They need to go home. China is well placed to help... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3327042/why-china-should-lead-commission-phased-rohingya-repatriation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3327042/why-china-should-lead-commission-phased-rohingya-repatriation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Former Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno on Tuesday denounced as “a farce” the bribery charges that prosecutors say link him and his family to US$76 million in payments from a Chinese state builder that managed part of one of the biggest South American projects in Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative. Lenin insisted the accusations are a political vendetta orchestrated by former president Rafael Correa, under whose government the controversial Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3325917/ex-ecuador-president-calls-bribery-case-over-belt-and-road-dam-farce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3325917/ex-ecuador-president-calls-bribery-case-over-belt-and-road-dam-farce?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 16:50:45 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat China has launched its first direct break-bulk shipping service to Peru’s Chancay port, as it steps up its trade, investment and influence in Latin America. A vessel operated by Cosco Shipping Specialised Carriers departed last week from Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu province on its maiden voyage to the strategic gateway, with the journey expected to take about 32 days in total, according to local media outlet Suzhou Daily. The ship, named Greensuape, is carrying more than 30,000 tonnes of cargo,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3325728/china-launches-first-direct-break-bulk-shipping-route-perus-chancay-port?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3325728/china-launches-first-direct-break-bulk-shipping-route-perus-chancay-port?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:00:11 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal A venture capital firm backed by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is taking a minority stake in an AI-powered logistics technology start-up backed by Hong Kong’s wealthiest man, as it looks for investment opportunities in the Greater China region to more than triple its assets under management by the end of 2025. Doha-based Rasmal Ventures, backed by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), has invested US$2 million (HK$15.6 million) in Hong Kong’s Nexx, an 18-month-old start-up backed by Li... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3325067/qatari-fund-invests-us2-million-ai-start-nexx-backed-hong-kongs-wealthiest-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3325067/qatari-fund-invests-us2-million-ai-start-nexx-backed-hong-kongs-wealthiest-man?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China plans to help dozens of countries develop their civil aviation capabilities through the Air Silk Road – a campaign that could, in turn, promote its home-grown aircraft and boost trade with nations from Central Asia to Europe. In the next phase of the eight-year-old initiative, Beijing would step up cooperation on aircraft leasing and civil aviation equipment manufacturing with some of the 150 countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the government said in a report. At a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324900/chinas-air-silk-road-grows-can-comacs-c909-and-c919-jets-take-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3324900/chinas-air-silk-road-grows-can-comacs-c909-and-c919-jets-take-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Investments under China’s Belt and Road Initiative surged in the first half of the year – particularly for projects in Central Asia related to metals and mining – leading some analysts to conclude Beijing is seeking access to critical natural resources as a precaution against escalatory trade restrictions from the United States. The 150 countries taking part in the global infrastructure initiative received a combined US$124 billion in investments and construction contracts from January to June,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3323354/china-steps-belt-and-road-initiative-funding-focus-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3323354/china-steps-belt-and-road-initiative-funding-focus-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Genevieve Donnellon-May Genevieve Donnellon-May Between the US restoring “maximum pressure” on Iran to deny it a path to nuclear weapons and Israel’s air strikes, a goods train from China quietly arrived at a dry port near Tehran, making the first delivery under the new China-Iran rail corridor project. It had travelled 10,400km (6,500 miles) from the Chinese city of Xian along a trade corridor aimed at slashing delivery times to 15 days, from 30 to 40 days by sea. This is an ambitious route, traversing Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3314468/israeli-strikes-one-more-challenge-new-china-iran-rail-corridor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3314468/israeli-strikes-one-more-challenge-new-china-iran-rail-corridor?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 08:30:06 +0000 Amy Sood Amy Sood Indonesia is reviving plans to extend its Chinese-backed high-speed rail network, with ambitions to connect Jakarta with Surabaya, the nation’s second-largest city. But analysts say familiar complications could stall the project, from regulatory hurdles to the mounting debt owed to China. The proposed extension would build on Whoosh – Southeast Asia’s first high speed rail line – a US$7.3 billion project connecting capital Jakarta to Bandung in West Java province. The 142km (88-mile) railway,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3312518/indonesia-eyes-high-speed-rail-surabaya-china-debt-barriers-loom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3312518/indonesia-eyes-high-speed-rail-surabaya-china-debt-barriers-loom?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:09 +0000 The United States has a “rare” opportunity to become a key partner for Indonesia in areas such as emerging technology and digital infrastructure despite Jakarta’s close economic ties with China, a study has claimed. But Washington needs a more ambitious and strategic form of statecraft to do so, according to the report from the Centre for a New American Security, a Washington think tank. The researchers argued that Indonesia had become a “key front” in the US-China rivalry to shape critical... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3306291/could-more-focused-us-gain-edge-over-china-contest-indonesian-tech-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3306291/could-more-focused-us-gain-edge-over-china-contest-indonesian-tech-business?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Apr 2025 04:00:13 +0000 China’s proposal of a new funding structure to finance most of a stalled Standard Gauge Railway extension bordering Uganda will allow Kenya to revive the project, according to Nairobi. A consortium of Chinese companies will provide 40 per cent of the funding for the US$5.3 billion, 475km (295-mile) railway line from Naivasha, a town in the Central Rift Valley, to Malaba. They will operate the railway and charge toll fees for some years to recoup their investment, according to Kenya’s finance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305483/after-delay-new-chinese-funding-plan-will-help-extend-railway-uganda-kenya-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305483/after-delay-new-chinese-funding-plan-will-help-extend-railway-uganda-kenya-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Apr 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Cannix Yau,Harvey Kong,Lam Ka-sing Cannix Yau,Harvey Kong,Lam Ka-sing Beijing’s veiled attack on Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison for selling its Panama Canal ports by posting a blistering newspaper commentary against it is an attempt to pile pressure on the conglomerate to either axe the deal or negotiate better terms that protect the national interest, observers have said. But the experts warned on Friday that Hutchison, part of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s empire, was now caught in a dilemma and might end up being punished by both the United States and China no... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3302480/can-hong-kongs-hutchison-ride-out-storm-over-panama-ports-deal-after-beijing-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3302480/can-hong-kongs-hutchison-ride-out-storm-over-panama-ports-deal-after-beijing-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:41:19 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi Last week, China’s leaders made promises to support the China-Europe Railway Express – an overland freight link that has become a symbol of Beijing’s ambitious drive to recreate the ancient Silk Road. But the reality is that traffic along the intercontinental rail link has been declining for months, as a wave of Russian goods seizures causes logistics companies to lose confidence in the project, industry insiders said. “We have not dared to ship [goods via the railway] since November,” said... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3301949/big-impact-russian-goods-seizures-cause-havoc-china-europe-rail-link?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3301949/big-impact-russian-goods-seizures-cause-havoc-china-europe-rail-link?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2025 15:00:08 +0000 Nicholas Ho Nicholas Ho Celebrating the Year of the Snake, Hong Kong will continue to innovate and transform akin to a nimble serpent, embracing new opportunities. The city will continue to expand our international connections while strengthening economic and trade cooperation with markets under the Belt and Road Initiative, with a view to solidifying Hong Kong’s role as the key functional platform for the initiative, and enhancing connectivity with both the mainland and the world. As part of this, the Silk Road... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3299214/how-hong-kong-can-seize-opportunities-along-silk-road-economic-belt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3299214/how-hong-kong-can-seize-opportunities-along-silk-road-economic-belt?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:30:10 +0000 In the heart of West Africa, where the world’s finest cocoa beans are cultivated, Chinese investment has built new processing factories in Ivory Coast and Ghana. On the outskirts of Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s economic capital, China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering has finished building the nation’s largest cocoa plant and a cocoa bean warehouse. It comes from one of the two deals the Chinese company signed with Ivory Coast in 2019 to build processing plants. The other is in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3298187/china-and-chocolate-factory-investment-ivory-coast-helps-secure-cocoa-edge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3298187/china-and-chocolate-factory-investment-ivory-coast-helps-secure-cocoa-edge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Feb 2025 07:00:07 +0000 Eighteen paramilitary soldiers and 24 militants were killed in fighting in southwestern Pakistan, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Saturday. The militants had tried to set up roadblocks overnight in the restive province of Balochistan and most of the deaths had taken place as security forces removed them, the military said. Eleven of the militants were killed in what the military described as “clearance operations” on Saturday. A vehicle “carrying unarmed Frontier Corps... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3297030/18-killed-balochistan-attack-pakistan-paramilitary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3297030/18-killed-balochistan-attack-pakistan-paramilitary?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:11:14 +0000 Thailand expects its 609km (378-mile) portion of a high-speed railway that will connect it with China through Laos to begin operations in 2030, its government said on Wednesday, nearly a decade later than originally planned. More than one-third of construction has been completed in the segment connecting the capital Bangkok to the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, about 220km (137 miles) away and the whole line to Nong Khai at the border with Laos would be ready by 2030, said Thai government spokesman... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3296680/thailands-fast-train-china-expected-9-years-behind-schedule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3296680/thailands-fast-train-china-expected-9-years-behind-schedule?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jan 2025 06:05:09 +0000 Chinese state lenders have approved a loan for a key segment of a new cross-country rail project in Nigeria, in a deal that appears to reflect China’s increasingly pragmatic approach to development financing in Africa. China Development Bank, a major policy bank, announced on Tuesday that it would grant an initial €245 million (US$253.7 million) tranche of funding for the Kaduna-Kano rail project, which is part of a larger rail corridor linking Nigeria from north to south. The deal was announced... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3294268/china-gets-major-nigeria-rail-project-back-track-granting-key-loan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3294268/china-gets-major-nigeria-rail-project-back-track-granting-key-loan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Since the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a vital part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, China and Pakistan have proudly declared themselves “all weather” friends. Over the years, however, both nations have faced internal, economic and geopolitical challenges that tested their relationship. Despite seismic events like the Covid-19 pandemic and shifting regional dynamics, the partnership remains central for both countries’ strategic outlooks. How did this... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3293072/china-pakistan-ties-will-continue-hold-fast-against-all-weather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3293072/china-pakistan-ties-will-continue-hold-fast-against-all-weather?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jan 2025 12:30:07 +0000 When Donald Trump emerged victorious from the US presidential election in November, some at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs lamented the result but none professed surprise. For months, officials and analysts linked to the ministry had prepared for the outcome, anticipating the former president was the favourite to win the White House. And the prevailing view was that any alarm was unwarranted, a senior diplomatic source said. Many forecast that Trump’s Latin American agenda would likely... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292807/donald-trumps-choice-marco-rubio-top-us-diplomat-leaves-latin-america-bracing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292807/donald-trumps-choice-marco-rubio-top-us-diplomat-leaves-latin-america-bracing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:00:08 +0000 Talks are at a late stage for China to finance and build a major highway in Kenya that passes through the Rift Valley to the western part of the country and possibly bankroll the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Malaba on the border with Uganda. The progress was revealed when Kenyan President William Ruto held talks with Li Xi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), at State House in Nairobi on Monday. According to the president’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285244/chinese-officials-visit-kenyan-president-says-deal-fund-and-build-highway-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285244/chinese-officials-visit-kenyan-president-says-deal-fund-and-build-highway-close?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:00:43 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal A deep pool of talent and a high level of sophistication in financial and legal services are just two advantages that make Hong Kong an ideal gateway for businesses to expand in Southeast Asia as well as in the Middle East, analysts said at a forum on Thursday. These factors should foster greater cooperation between Hong Kong and these two regions, which are among the world’s fastest-growing, they said during the Belt and Road Summit at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. “Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3278304/southeast-asia-middle-east-eye-deeper-business-ties-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3278304/southeast-asia-middle-east-eye-deeper-business-ties-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2024 01:00:09 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Paul Lam Ting-kwok, Hong Kong’s Secretary of Justice, will lead a delegation of legal professionals to visit Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia later this month to promote the city’s legal and dispute-resolution services. The visit aims to promote the city’s role as an intermediary between mainland China and countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, following heightened geopolitical tensions with the West. Lam earlier led a 30-person team in May to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “It... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3278131/hong-kong-promote-strengths-dispute-resolution-services-southeast-asia-roadshows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3278131/hong-kong-promote-strengths-dispute-resolution-services-southeast-asia-roadshows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Sep 2024 12:01:26 +0000 Chinese cement makers are looking to growth potential in Africa to make up for a shrinking domestic market amid a protracted property crisis and slow economic recovery at home. Thanks to its investment in Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mozambique, major cement producer West China Cement Limited said its African operation was the major contributor of profits to the overall business last year. “High quality development in Africa will be a major focus in 2024 and beyond,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3275010/chinese-cement-firms-look-boom-african-construction-make-woes-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3275010/chinese-cement-firms-look-boom-african-construction-make-woes-home?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:00:09 +0000 A Chinese mining company has revealed that it lost 12kg (26lbs) of gold – worth US$900,000 – in an armed robbery in Ghana earlier this year. Shenzhen-listed gold mining firm Beijing Xiaocheng Technology Stock Co disclosed in its half-year financial report released on Wednesday that “five to six” suspects had been arrested and detained at a police station in Ghana. Security agencies in the West African nation were “still searching for the whereabouts of the gold”, according to the company. Africa... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274727/chinese-firm-says-us900000-gold-stolen-armed-attack-mine-ghana?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274727/chinese-firm-says-us900000-gold-stolen-armed-attack-mine-ghana?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2024 08:00:12 +0000 China needs to establish an effective deterrent and improve its intelligence capabilities to better protect its expanding overseas interests, according to a senior military expert. Liu Qiang, a retired People’s Liberation Army officer who served twice with United Nations peacekeeping forces, said it was “necessary” to explore military protection and overseas troop deployments, even though they are “a last resort”. “It requires careful planning and cautious practice. But nevertheless, this is an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274692/china-needs-deterrent-force-protect-its-expanding-overseas-interests-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274692/china-needs-deterrent-force-protect-its-expanding-overseas-interests-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2024 06:00:09 +0000 Trade routes are vital in our interconnected world. Yet, they face significant challenges from regional conflicts, economic crises and funding uncertainties. Importantly, the shift from a US-led unipolar world to a multipolar one could also give rise to threats to global commerce. In this new landscape, developing economies with ambitious foreign policy agendas – often labelled middle powers – are forging new alliances and seeking new avenues to navigate the uncertainty. While some Western... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3265521/middle-powers-new-trade-routes-will-be-lifeblood-multipolar-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3265521/middle-powers-new-trade-routes-will-be-lifeblood-multipolar-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jun 2024 08:30:09 +0000 China on Thursday finally signed an agreement for a key railway linking it with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, a project hailed by President Xi Jinping as “a show of determination”. “The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway is a strategic project for China’s connectivity with Central Asia and a landmark project for [our] three countries to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Xi in a message issued to mark the occasion. The deal’s resolution signalled that Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265685/china-reaches-deal-central-asian-railway-project-linking-it-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265685/china-reaches-deal-central-asian-railway-project-linking-it-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2024 15:41:23 +0000 Pakistan’s new government is hoping to inject some fresh momentum into projects that fall under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, as it tries to boost the country’s troubled economy. The South Asian nation is looking at joint ventures for renewable-energy projects, agriculture collaboration and possibly enticing some Chinese companies to relocate to Pakistan, said Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s federal minister for planning, development and special initiatives, who also co-heads the committee... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3264356/pakistan-pins-its-hopes-china-and-belt-and-road-revival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3264356/pakistan-pins-its-hopes-china-and-belt-and-road-revival?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2024 04:32:07 +0000 The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial pillar of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a massive project in connectivity that includes Pakistan’s Gwadar port. But Baloch separatist groups have long targeted the project, and an escalation in attacks last month was clearly aimed at Chinese nationals and interests. This cloud of insecurity casts a shadow over the future of this important economic corridor. Addressing these concerns through a multifaceted formula involving military,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3258011/how-stem-terrorist-attacks-china-pakistan-economic-corridor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3258011/how-stem-terrorist-attacks-china-pakistan-economic-corridor?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2024 21:30:12 +0000 As China’s contest with the US heats up, its Belt and Road Initiative investments are fuelling geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific. The hosting of the third belt and road forum last year was lauded by President Xi Jinping in his New Year address. The US, however, wants to keep the Indo-Pacific “free and open”, and questions Beijing’s intentions in pushing a China-led network of infrastructure projects throughout the Global South. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched by Xi in 2013,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248297/how-belt-and-road-fuelling-us-china-indo-pacific-contest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3248297/how-belt-and-road-fuelling-us-china-indo-pacific-contest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jan 2024 11:30:15 +0000 Science and technology were key features in China’s new action plan unveiled during the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing on Wednesday, as the host nation grappled with a growing list of export curbs on key technologies from Western countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested that his vision for the Belt and Road Initiative could offer a pathway to overcome such challenges to achieve technological and innovation ambitions, adding that China is against... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3238412/xi-jinping-urges-more-sci-tech-collaboration-further-belt-and-road-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3238412/xi-jinping-urges-more-sci-tech-collaboration-further-belt-and-road-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2023 02:00:07 +0000 Kenya will ask China for US$1 billion to finance stalled infrastructure projects when President William Ruto meets Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing this month. Ruto will also seek loan restructuring, asking China for more time, “so we can pay slowly, and add us a little money so we can finish road construction”, his deputy said. “If we get US$1 billion we will be able to give [contractors] the money they are owed so they can return so even as we pay the debt, the roads are completed,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3237215/kenya-seek-us1b-china-stalled-railway-more-time-repay-debts-deputy-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3237215/kenya-seek-us1b-china-stalled-railway-more-time-repay-debts-deputy-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Oct 2023 15:00:09 +0000 As the United Kingdom’s embarrassed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak takes a hatchet to the long-controversial HS2 high-speed rail project intended to link London to the northwest, Professor Tony Travers at the London School of Economics reflected the mood of many when he called it a “tragic case study in how not to plan and deliver public infrastructure”. The embarrassment is all the more acute when just days ago, Indonesia inaugurated its first high-speed rail line, cutting the 142km journey from... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236963/uk-high-speed-rail-fiasco-west-has-much-learn-china-building-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236963/uk-high-speed-rail-fiasco-west-has-much-learn-china-building-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2023 07:30:07 +0000 Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway on Monday as it was set to begin commercial operations, a key project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure initiative that will drastically reduce the travel time between two key cities. The project has been beset with delays and increasing costs, and some observers doubt its commercial benefits. But Widodo has championed the 142km (88-mile) railway, which was issued its official operating... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236503/indonesia-gets-its-china-backed-whoosh-high-speed-railway-rolling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236503/indonesia-gets-its-china-backed-whoosh-high-speed-railway-rolling?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2023 07:04:16 +0000 A decade on from its launch, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has not been the “transformational game changer” many in Southeast Asia were hoping for, analysts say, amid growing concerns over the “marginal dividends” and “political side effects” of engaging with Beijing’s multibillion-dollar connectivity push to grow global trade. Chinese investments and construction contracts in the region – spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3235495/chinas-big-belt-and-road-plans-southeast-asia-hit-10-year-speed-bump-political-side-effects-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3235495/chinas-big-belt-and-road-plans-southeast-asia-hit-10-year-speed-bump-political-side-effects-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Sep 2023 01:30:16 +0000 A team of Chinese and Italian researchers has restored parts of a 300-year-old Catholic church in Venice, Italy, using modern nanotechnology. The Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth, which overlooks the Grand Canal and is a prime example of Venetian Baroque architecture, is the beneficiary of a patented method developed to consolidate, or treat, marble stones damaged by time and the elements. The research was funded by the Veneto regional government, the National Natural Science Foundation of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3232017/chinese-italian-nanotechnology-research-helps-preserve-stone-and-repair-historic-church-scalzi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3232017/chinese-italian-nanotechnology-research-helps-preserve-stone-and-repair-historic-church-scalzi?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Aug 2023 08:00:14 +0000 Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has called for closer ties with South Asian countries – urging them to “share the benefits of China’s growth” and its massive infrastructure push in the region. China and South Asia should build “a development community” for the long-term stability and prosperity of the region, Wang told the opening ceremony of the 7th China-South Asia Expo in the southwestern city of Kunming on Wednesday. Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena of Sri Lanka, who is on an official visit to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231331/chinas-wang-yi-urges-closer-ties-south-asia-under-belt-and-road-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231331/chinas-wang-yi-urges-closer-ties-south-asia-under-belt-and-road-initiative?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Aug 2023 14:48:02 +0000 Indonesia is again delaying the opening of a China-funded high-speed train, citing safety concerns. The soft launch of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway will be pushed back to September, instead of August 18, even if the commercial opening is still set for October 1, its operator said on Tuesday. PT KCIC, a consortium of Indonesian and Chinese state companies behind the 142-kilometre (88-mile) railway, said more time was needed to ensure passengers’ safety and comfort. Safety checks were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230499/indonesia-delays-opening-china-funded-jakarta-bandung-railway-amid-safety-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3230499/indonesia-delays-opening-china-funded-jakarta-bandung-railway-amid-safety-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Aug 2023 23:00:13 +0000 China’s belt and road projects rebounded in the first half of 2023 with a strong focus on metal investments in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report. The initiative, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, appears to have regained momentum after the Covid-19 pandemic slowed down activity for three years. A total of 103 deals worth US$43.3 billion were signed in the first six months of this year compared with US$35 billion in the same period in 2022, according to a report by Fudan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3230094/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-regains-momentum-focus-shifts-smaller-high-quality-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3230094/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-regains-momentum-focus-shifts-smaller-high-quality-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Aug 2023 10:41:33 +0000 As the West steps up its diplomatic ventures into Africa, China has renewed its commitment to the continent, with debt relief and reconstruction pledges for Ethiopia and calls on new administrations in Kenya and Nigeria. The commitments came as part of senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi’s four-nation African tour, which will also include a visit to South Africa. During an unannounced stop in Addis Ababa on Friday, Wang said China supported Ethiopia’s domestic reconstruction and economic recovery... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3228718/china-africa-relations-wang-yi-pledges-beijing-will-help-ethiopia-recover-and-boost-ties-kenya-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3228718/china-africa-relations-wang-yi-pledges-beijing-will-help-ethiopia-recover-and-boost-ties-kenya-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jul 2023 09:27:26 +0000 Indonesia’s transport ministry and three consultants have pushed back on a China-funded consortium’s plan to start full commercial operations of the country’s US$7.3 billion first high-speed train service in August, an internal document shows. A flagship project of President Joko Widodo – and part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative – the 142km (88-mile) line from capital Jakarta to the large city of Bandung being built by a consortium of Indonesian and Chinese state firms is already US$1.2... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3223230/indonesias-china-funded-high-speed-railway-beset-fresh-problems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3223230/indonesias-china-funded-high-speed-railway-beset-fresh-problems?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jun 2023 07:03:15 +0000 Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan may have been released on bail but the country remains in a tumultuous spiral after his heavy-handed arrest at the Islamabad High Court last week by the paramilitary Rangers. The ugly arrest and its sheer impunity – carried out by soldiers rather than the police – sparked nationwide, anti-army protests by Khan’s supporters. This assault on the army is unprecedented in Pakistan. With at least nine reported dead and thousands arrested, the situation... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3220789/what-protests-pakistan-against-imran-khans-arrest-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3220789/what-protests-pakistan-against-imran-khans-arrest-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 May 2023 22:15:10 +0000 Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria is among new megaprojects in Africa showing how the Chinese government lending boom is gradually being replaced by the commercial project market. Observers say Chinese firms are shifting from a model that limited them to engineering, procurement, construction plus finance to now taking stakes in running the infrastructure once it is built in a model known as integrated investment, construction, and operation (IICO). IICO is now commonly used in Chinese discussions... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3212071/new-megaprojects-africa-show-chinese-finance-skews-commercial-market-amid-beijings-lending-slowdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3212071/new-megaprojects-africa-show-chinese-finance-skews-commercial-market-amid-beijings-lending-slowdown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2023 04:00:18 +0000 What kind of Chinese investment might win over Cambodians’ hearts? The benefits, costs and public reception of two landmark projects may help to answer that question. For while people seem enthused to use a new road, they are uneasy about economic change in the city of Sihanoukville, which lies at one end of it. Cambodia has heartily embraced the first motorway linking the capital Phnom Penh to the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk since it was opened to the public for a one-month free trial... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3199282/why-cambodia-has-mixed-feelings-about-china-built-phnom-penh-sihanoukville-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3199282/why-cambodia-has-mixed-feelings-about-china-built-phnom-penh-sihanoukville-road?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Nov 2022 01:00:12 +0000 Private security firms will play a much more significant role in protecting assets related to China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative after President Xi Jinping discussed enhancing overseas security at the 20th party congress, according to analysts. The total market value of global private military or security companies is between US$100 billion and US$244 billion, according to a report released this month by Washington-based Jamestown Foundation, a conservative defence policy think... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197577/chinas-private-security-firms-shield-against-terrorist-sabotage-xi-jinping-looks-protect-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3197577/chinas-private-security-firms-shield-against-terrorist-sabotage-xi-jinping-looks-protect-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2022 12:30:09 +0000